subliminal

The subliminal is below the liminal (the smallest detectable sensation).

Anything truly below the level of detectable sensation could not, by definition, be
perceived. However, the subliminal is generally said to be below the threshold of conscious
perception. There is a widespread belief, not strongly supported by empirical research,
that without being aware of its presence or content, a person's behavior can be
significantly affected by subliminal messages. Thus, it is believed that one can influence
behavior by surreptitiously appealing to the subconscious mind
with words and images. If this were true, then advertisers could manipulate consumer
behavior by hiding subliminal messages in their ads. The government, or Aunt Hilda for
that matter, could control our minds and bodies by secretly communicating to us
subliminally. Learners could learn while listening to music embedded with subliminal
messages. Unfortunately, "...years of research has resulted in the demonstration of
some very limited effects of subliminal stimulation" and no support for its
efficaciousness in behavior modification (Hines, 312).

The fact that there is almost no empirical support for the usefulness of subliminal
messaging has not prevented numerous industries from producing and marketing tapes which
allegedly communicate directly with the unconscious mind, encouraging the
"listener" not to steal, or coaching the "listener" to have courage or
believe in his or her power to accomplish great things. Consumers spend more
than $50 million each year on subliminal self-help products (Journal of
Advertising Research, reported by Dennis
Love, Sacramento Bee, 9-14-2000). A place called Hypnotictapes.com
offers a
wide array of such tapes developed by James H. Schmelter, a hypnotherapist with an MBA and
self-proclaimed expertise in synergistic science. If Schmelter's stuff is not to your
liking, try
Mindwriter Subliminals... A Breakthrough In Human Reprogramming.

It is true that we can perceive things even though we are not conscious of perceiving
them. However, for those who put messages in tapes and then record music over the messages
so that the messages are drowned out by the music or other sounds, it might be useful to
remember that if the messages are drowned out by other sounds, the only perceptions one
can have are of the sounds drowning out the messages. There is no evidence of anyone
hearing a message which is buried beneath layers of other sounds to the point where the
message does not distinctly stand out. Of course, if the message distinctly stood out, it
would not be subliminal.

The belief in the power of subliminal messaging to manipulate behavior seems to have
originated in 1957 with James Vicary, an advertising promoter who claimed to increase
popcorn sales by some 58% and Coke sales by some 18% in a New Jersey movie theater simply
by flashing very briefly the messages "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Hungry - Eat
Popcorn." Even though the claim has been shown to be a hoax,
and even though no one has been able to duplicate the event, belief in the legend lingers.
This story and several others were retold by Vance Packard in The Hidden
Persuaders (1957), a book that became required reading for a generation
of college students.

Belief in subliminal messaging reached a surreal apex in 1980 with the publication of The
Clam-Plate Orgy and Other Subliminals the Media Use to Manipulate Your Behavior by
Wilson Bryan Key. The book has been reissued under the sexier title: Subliminal Adventures in Erotic Art.
Key claims that advertisers use subliminal messaging of a very
serious sexual nature in order to manipulate behavior, including imbedding
sexy figures and the word 'sex' in images of such things as ice cubes and
food. While carefully examining a Howard
Johnson's menu, Key saw that the plate of clams pictured on the menu was actually the
portrayal of a sexual orgy which included various people and a donkey. Among Key's many
unfounded claims is that the unconscious mind processes subliminal messages at the speed
of light. Actually, the fastest brain process chugs along at some 40 m.p.h. (Hines).

Despite the fact that there is no body of empirical support for the
notion that subliminal advertising is effective, in 1974 the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order saying that broadcast
outlets that knowingly carry subliminal ads are operating "contrary to the
public interest." In September 2000, Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and John Breaux of Louisiana
complained to the FCC about a Republican ad that flashed the word ''RATS''
(or "BUREAUCRATS") across the screen for 1/30 of a second. ''We have
reason to believe that broadcasters are airing television advertisements
that contain subliminal messages in violation of the public interest,''
they said, apparently oblivious to the fact that something which can't be
registered by the brain is unlikely to have any effect on viewers and is
unlikely to violate anything except the reasonable bounds of credulity.